It’s not just a rhetorical question. Scientists believe they have a chemical answer in the form of oxytocin, a hormone that mothers release when they bond with their newborn babies, for example.

The ‘love hormone’ has an important role in human interaction, but now scientists have studied its effect on cats and dogs.

Researchers for a BBC documentary, Cats vs Dogs, tested pets for their oxytocin levels before and after they saw their owners. Ten cats and ten dogs had saliva taken, then played with their owners for ten minutes, MailOnline reported.

♪Have a nice weekend ♪

This ukiyo-e by Kikuzawa Eizan 菊川 英山 (1787- 1867) shows a stylish Japanese girl in an orange-red kimono barefoot on wooden sandals. It is cold outside. The wind is blowing and she is holding her clothes with one hand, so you can see a little bit of her legs without stockings. She must freeze, her right hand is covered by her sleeve and with the other hand she is holding an umbrella. Unbelievable, but she shows no sign of discomfort.